Troy Carter represents Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District, covering New Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard and the River Parishes,.[1] A New Orleans native, he held local and state office, including the New Orleans City Council and the Louisiana Senate, before winning a 2021 special election to the U.S. House.[1][3] He serves on the Energy and Commerce and Homeland Security committees, is a Deputy Whip for House Democratic leadership, and is 1st Vice Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.[1]
Carter was born in New Orleans in 1963, according to Ballotpedia.[2] He graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana with a bachelor's degree in political science and business administration and earned a master's degree in business, summa cum laude, from the University of Holy Cross; he has also received honorary doctorates of humane letters from Xavier University and Southern University of New Orleans.[1] His public service began as an Executive Assistant to New Orleans Mayor Sidney Barthelemy, and Ballotpedia lists his career experience as a business consultant and managing partner of Policy and Planning Partners, LLC.[1][2]
In 1991 Carter became the first African American elected to represent Louisiana's 102nd District in the Louisiana House of Representatives, where he also served as the youngest-ever floor leader for New Orleans, and he later became the first African American elected to New Orleans City Council District C.[1] He sought the 2nd District congressional seat before, finishing fifth in the 2006 all-party general election and sixth in the 2008 Democratic primary, according to Roll Call.[3] He later served as a Louisiana State Senator for the 7th District, including as Senate Minority Leader and as the first African American to represent the district, and Roll Call describes him as a state senator since 2015.[1][3] His official biography says he authored or co-authored hundreds of laws on infrastructure, economic development, women's healthcare, criminal justice reform and reducing homelessness.[1]
Carter won an April 24, 2021 special election runoff against fellow state Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, 56 percent to 44 percent when the race was called, to succeed Cedric Richmond; Roll Call reported that he ran as a centrist and consensus builder.[3] In the 119th Congress he serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Homeland Security Committee and the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, and he previously served on the Small Business and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees.[1] He was selected as a Deputy Whip and elected 1st Vice Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.[1] According to his official biography, Carter is an Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Xavier University, hosts the podcast "What Makes America Tick," and is married to Major General Ana Carter of the U.S. Army, with whom he has two sons, Troy Jr. and Joshua.[1]
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.
